


Spider-Baby of mine

by wolfypuppypiles



Series: Spider-Baby and the adventures of Super-Dad [2]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Baby Peter, Cuddles, Cute, Cute Kids, De-Aged Peter, Family Feels, Fluff, Team as Family, Toddler Peter, Tony is a good dad, dad tony, father-son bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 03:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14511423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfypuppypiles/pseuds/wolfypuppypiles
Summary: Tony never considered himself a father to anyone, but when Peter is hit with an alien weapon and de-aged that's exactly what he needs to be.





	Spider-Baby of mine

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a user named Pedro on here so thank you for the prompt! I really hope you and everyone else enjoys this as much as I enjoyed writing it! And I hope it makes everyone feel a little better after you know what. 
> 
> Also, Hannah, thank you for your help and suggestions as always you're amazing

“Woooah what does this one do?” Peter inched closer to the weapon on the table, only stopping when Tony's hand pressed against his chest. 

“I don’t know. Don’t touch it.”

Peter’s wide eyes found another one. A small, grenade looking device made from alien materials. “What about this one?”

Tony sounded tired. “That one vaporises anyone and anything within ten feet of it. Stay back.”

“What about that one?”

Tony grabbed Peters' arms and pushed him back into his seat, away from the weapons. “What did I say! Sit down and watch what I am doing. You are here to observe and not touch. What are you here to do?”

Peter sighed, trying not to roll his eyes as he sullenly repeated Tony's instruction. “Observe and not touch.”

Tony let go, turning back to his work. “Good, now pay attention.”

They’d been collecting all of the weapons Toomes and his team had made so that Tony could find out what they did and could decide on how to proceed. 

Only, Peter didn’t want to just stay back and watch, he wanted to help. He stood from his chair, craning his head to see over Tony's shoulder at what he was doing. 

And then something exploded. Tony jumped back when the gun went off, throwing beams of light to the wall and blowing a hole right through it. 

The lab shook and Peter stumbled, grabbing onto one of the tables to stabilize himself. 

“Woah, that was so cool!”

Tony turned with a smile, only for it to disappear with a shout of panic. “Yeah, that- Peter don’t touch that!”

Peter pulled his hand away and looked to where Tony was pointing, only seeing the gun a millisecond before it went off. 

Tony let out a cry of panic as smoke and light enveloped the lab. “Peter!”

Tony's heart pounded as he watched the smoke clear but Peter was...gone. 

“Peter? Where are you? Oh, god don’t be dead.”

Tony looked around, pushing tables out of his way and trying to remember how to breathe because God, the kid could be vaporized, or portalled to another dimension or-

“Mr Stark?” Tony froze. That couldn’t possibly be Peter, the voice was much too small but the kid was the only one that called him that. 

Tony slowly looked up to where the voice had come from and there, clinging, upside-down on the ceiling, was a tiny little Peter. His wide brown eyes and droopy curls were the same, as well as the tiny blue sweater that Peter had been wearing just five minutes before. 

Everything came together in Tony's head, colliding and exploding like fireworks that made his stomach twist. 

“Oh, fuck.”

Peters' eyes widened impossibly further as a tiny, chubby finger stuck out to point at Tony, a sweet, squeaky voice coming along with it. “Naughty word!”

……………………

Tony pressed his fingers to his temples, squeezing his eyes shut as he ground out his words between gritted teeth. “What do you mean you can’t fix this?”

Bruce pointed to the child happily eating animal crackers with Thor, little legs kicking his tiny trainers under the table as he babbled on about what animals he had. 

“Physically he’s fine!”

Tony curled his fingers into fists, furious. “He’s two!” 

Bruce nodded as Thor wiggled his lion cracker and moo’d, making Peter giggle.

“Well, yes. Judging by his size and developmental milestones he is around two years old but he’s still Peter. From what I can tell, he has all the knowledge that Peter had as a teenager, he’s just in a smaller body. He still thinks, feels and behaves like a two-year-old but he knows who we are and everything that Peter did before.”

Bruce turned to Peter, smiling. “Hey, Peter? What’s twenty-three times forty-eight?”

Peter held up his cracker, beaming. “One thousand, one hundred and four. Look, I got a hippo!”

Bruce gave him a thumbs up before turning back to Tony. “Good job, buddy! See, he’s okay. It’s quite amazing actually.”

Tony had to admit he was impressed. “Okay, fine. He’s a genius and he’s about ten times as adorable as he was before but it’s not going to be so amazing when I have to tell May that her nephew is a baby again. And what about Spider-Man? He can’t go back to his old life like this.”

Bruce nodded. “Yeah, okay. You’re right. We can take a look at the weapon that caused this and see about reversing it. But until then, we’ll need to take care of him.”

Tony watched as Peter walked his little zoo of crackers across the table, Thor following his behind. “I don’t know how to take care of kids, Bruce. I can barely take care of myself.”

Bruce gripped his shoulder in comfort. “We’ll all be here to help you. It takes a village and all that. Anyway, it can’t be too hard. Peter is the most polite person on the planet besides Steve and-”

“THAT WAS MINE!” Bruce and Tony turned at the tiny shout to see Peter squealing at a very surprised Thor. Peter may have been small but he still had his powers and it was easy as cake for his chubby hands to grip the table and lift it into the air above his head. 

Tony held out his hands, stopping the kid before be broke the table over Thor’s head. “Stop! You put that table down, right now!”

Peter glared at him, red face screwing up into an adorably grumpy pout. Tony tried again. “That is not how a hero behaves. Do you think Captain America throws tantrums?”

Peter didn’t put the table down but his face lost a little of its colour. “Hulk does!” 

Bruce winced. The kid had them there. Tony didn’t back down. “You’re Spider-Man. You help people. Put it down.”

Peter’s frown softened and he slowly placed the table back on the floor. Tony knelt down and took his little hands in his, trying to catch his eyes as Peter hung his head. “Now, what's the matter?”

Tony had never taken care of a kid before, he’s had plenty of close calls with women and pregnancy tests but he’d never actually had to be anything remotely close to a parent before. And to his horror, Peters bottom lip started to wobble. 

“Thor stole my cracker.” His voice was cracked and so sad it broke Tony’s heart and he could hear Bruce ‘aw’ behind them. 

“Peter, I’m sure Thor would never do that and even if he did, that was no way to behave. Say sorry.”

Peter lifted his chin, tears falling down his chubby cheeks as he looked to the god of thunder. “I’m -sniff- sorry.” 

Thor looked uncertainly at the young boy. “It’s all right.” 

Peter rubbed a fist over his eyes as his shoulders and chest jumped with the force of his hiccuping breaths. Tony rubbed a hand over his back, nodding. “Good boy. Give Thor a hug.”

Peter obeyed, waddling over and reaching up to the deity. Thor smiled and put down his cracker to pick up the spiderling, pulling him onto his lap so that Peter could snuggle into his neck. 

Bruce crossed his arms, looking smug. “Looks like you’re doing alright to me.”  
Tony sent him a look but it did make him feel a little better. 

The other occupants of the compound were about as helpful as Bruce and Thor had been. Tony was trying to organise everything while Natasha, Sam and Bucky all cooed at the little spider. 

“He’s so tiny!”

“Look at his little shoes and hands!”

“He’s so cute!”

Tony scowled as he swiped at his screen, ordering kids clothes and supplies to be delivered as soon as possible. “Will you guys stop? I’m trying to concentrate. What do kids eat?”

Peter squeaked up as he crawled up Bucky’s metal arm and onto his shoulder, perching there like a trained monkey. “I want chocolate cake!”

Tony frowned and swiped away Friday's selection of bakeries as she offered them. “You can’t have cake, Peter. Hey, get down from there!”

Bucky shrugged, bouncing Peter on his shoulder as he held the kid's tiny hand with his metal fingers. “I don’t mind.”

Tony had a right to be worried. Peter may have been a sweet, polite, intelligent kid, but now that he was a two-year-old with superpowers, he had different wants and needs. Also, his hands were smaller and it was only a matter of time before accidents happened. 

“Mr Starrrk.” Peter whined from the chair that Tony put him in while he called May. 

“-so, I can keep him here for the week until we finish the project. It’s really impor-well, no I’m asking not telling but-”

“Mr Staarrrkk. I spilt my juice.”

May was still talking but Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he tried not to crush his phone in his hand. “I’ll be there in just a minute, kid.”

“I don’t know that I like him being away for so long and what about school?” 

Tony rubbed a hand over his forehead as he paced the room, trying to focus. “He can do his school work here, he won’t fall behind.”

The tiny voice got louder. “MR STARK! I SPILLED MY JUICE!”

Tony spun around, trying so hard not to snap at the kid. “Peter, give me a minute!” 

The toddler held up his cup, juice dripping from his sweater to his chair, over his shoes and onto the floor. “I dropped it. It’s in my sock.”

Tony sighed, all anger melting away. He was so tired and it was only eleven in the morning.

May’s voice came from the phone again, reminding Tony that he was holding it. “Was that Peter? Why does he sound like that?”

Tony grabbed a cloth off the bench and walked over to where Peter was kicking his soggy foot unhappily. “Um, he’s playing with helium. Listen, I’ll call you back. Bye May.”

He put the phone down and took Peters cup, trying to clean up the mess as he sighed. “What did you do?”

Peter stretched his foot down, almost sliding out of the chair entirely, to splash in the juice puddle on the floor. “It was an addiddent.”

Tony pushed his foot away and mopped up the spill. “Accident.”

Little hands came down to splash at the mess as he tried again. “Addident.” 

Tony gave up on the mess and the word and scooped up the toddler instead. “Yeah, you got it, buddy. Let's get you cleaned up.”

Thankfully, all of Tony's groceries had been delivered and he plucked some spider-man footie pyjamas out of a box. 

“Here, you can wear these.” Dressing a two-year-old was more difficult than Tony thought, especially when all that two-year-old wanted to do was dance.

“Peter, stop dancing for a minute and put your leg in.”

The kid wiggled and evaded Tony's grasp. “I can't! If I stop dancing the aliens will come and take me away.”

Tony caught his foot and pushed it into the pant leg as he grumbled. “Don’t even joke about that. I hate aliens.”

Peter shook his booty while Tony attempted to zip his onesie up. “Thor’s an alien and he's your friend.”

Tony tickled that little round tummy, making Peter squeal and hop up and down. “Thors a good alien and if you don’t stop dancing I’m going to have to keep tickling you.”

Peter pushed Tony’s hands away with a whine. “Okay, I stop.”

Peter watched Tony and Tony watched back, eyes narrowing. Peter wiggled again and Tony scooped him up, pulling him to his chest and tickling him until he screamed and kicked with laughter. 

“Oh, I’m going to get you now, little man.”

Tony smiled wider than he had in months and his chest felt as if could explode with happiness. Peter wriggled on his lap, squealing as Tony poked at his tummy. He was laughing himself, out of breath, and finally stopped, watching Peter pant and clutch his big hands with his little ones. 

“Do you surrender?” 

Peter nodded, eyes wide and bright. Tony picked him up and put him on the ground. “Okay, you’re free to go.”

Peter was more than happy to test out his new pj’s and promptly hopped around in them while Tony threw his old clothes in the wash. “Peter, don’t get those dirty. Go do your homework. It’s on the table.”

Spiderling watched Tony walk off to the laundry room and quickly rummaged through the boxes of supplies, grabbing the things he liked and pulling them out. He found new clothes and shoes and a few toys and books. He piled them all up on the table and went to do his homework, pulling his school book towards him with a smile. 

When Tony got back he immediately regretted leaving the kid on his own, although he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Peter had started his homework like he was told and he had gotten all of the answers right, the problem was that he was using crayons. 

Tony walked over and sighed, watching Peter stick his tongue out the side of his mouth as he scribbled with his red glitter crayon. It seemed as though he had done most of his work but decided to use the last page for something else. “Peter, what are you doing?”

Peter smiled and held up his page. “Look! I drew us!”

Where he was supposed to write chemistry equations, Peter had drawn a picture instead. Fat little sparkly stick figures adorned the page, depicting a tiny Peter holding what had to be Tony’s hand. 

Tony couldn’t help but smile, pointing to a blue bean on the page. “What’s that?”

Peter put the page down and kept colouring, grinning proudly as he explained. “That’s Steve! He’s in his Cat-Captib-Catim-”

Tony tried not to laugh at Peters struggle to get his words out of his two-year-old mouth. 

“Catpin Mamerica suit.” 

Tony patted his back, nodding. “Good job, buddy.”

Peter grabbed a green crayon from the box and handed it over. “Here, you do Hulk.”

Tony wasn’t about to say no to the kid and settled down to draw his best friend in green sparkly crayon. They certainly wouldn’t be handing any of this in to Peter’s teachers. 

“Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

Bruce walked in fifteen minutes later, spotting Tony at the table making Peter laugh as he shook the page and made noises. “Rwar. I’m going to smash all the buildings!”

Peter giggled, head falling back and almost sending him off his chair as he whined. “Nooo, you can’t break them! You don’t have any pants on!”

Tony frowned at the page dramatically. “Oh, he doesn’t? Gross, better draw some on then.”

Bruce stepped closer, peeking over Tony's shoulder to see Peter drawing some purple pants on the green figure on the page. 

“You two sound like you’re having fun.”

Tony looked up, eyes lit up with laughter. “Hey, Brucie! We were just talking about you! Come, sit down.”

“Oh, I actually just came to ask if you’d help me in the lab.”

Tony put his crayon down, deflating. “Oh, right. I should probably help on that. Peter, you want to come to the lab with us?”

Peter jumped from his chair and ran over to Bruce hopping up and down with his arms raised, little grabby hands reaching out for the scientist.

“Peter help! Peter help! Bruce, lift me up!”

Bruce looked unsure but smiled and lifted the toddler into the air as he’d asked, settling him on his hip. “Do you really think it's safe bringing him with us?”

Tony thought for a moment. The last time Peter had been in there he’d been a teenager and he hadn’t been able to keep his hands to himself. He’d gotten blasted by an alien weapon and turned into a kid. And now he was a toddler with no impulse control. 

Tony watched Peter smile, babbling on to Bruce about his favourite elements and their atomic numbers. “Eh, we’ll get him a lab coat. He’ll be fine.”

Little Peter was as happy to be in the lab as big Peter, if not more so. Bruce held onto him tight as they entered but Peter wriggled so much he had to put him down.

“I wanna play with the guns!”

Tony grabbed the kid and dragged him away from the tables, placing him on a chair in front of a notepad.

“Absolutely not. You can take notes for us while we work. How’s that? No crayons this time though.”

Peter whined and Tony went to grab a lab coat. It was much too big but Peter didn’t mind, squealing when Tony rolled up the sleeves for him and wrapped safety goggles around his face. 

“There. Perfectly safe.”  
Bruce didn’t look so sure. “Um, are you sure that-”

Tony raised an eyebrow and pointed to the mini scientist at the table, tongue sticking out of his mouth as he concentrated on moving his pen over the page. It was tricky, drawing with such little hands and fingers. He knew how to spell everything and how to formulate equations but his fingers kept drawing all his nine’s backwards. 

Bruce couldn't help but smile as Peter pushed his goggles back up to his eyes. “Aww. Okay, fine. But he has to stay on the other side of the room, away from any mishaps.”

Tony couldn’t agree more. In fact, Peter was actually quite helpful. He sat at his desk, carefully writing down their experiments and offering input when needed. “Don’t forget the control!”

“Thanks, Pete! The little guy is really into it today.”

Unfortunately, despite all their tests and experiments, they’d come up with almost nothing of use.  
Bruce sighed and dropped his tools. “I don’t know. Maybe the alien tech can only be used one way. I think the tampering Toome’s team did was just a way to use it. It can’t be reversed if we don’t even know how it works in the first place. Maybe we should just call Strange and ask him to use his time stone.”

Tony glared at the stupid weapon on the table. “You know he won’t. What are we supposed to do?”

Little tapping footsteps came up behind him, as Peter toddled towards his hero. “Don’t be sad, Tony.”

Peter was looking up at him with the sweetest expression, lab coat as long as a cape on his small frame and his safety goggles making his eyes look huge. Tony couldn’t help but smile and pick up the kid, placing him in his lap. 

“Thanks, buddy. I’m okay.”

Peter leant back into Tony's chest, the small weight comforting and chasing away the hopelessness of their experiments. 

Bruce smiled at the sight of Tony instinctively pulling Peter closer, holding him tight. “You two take a break. I got this.”

Tony looked up, surprised. “Really? Are you sure?”

Bruce nodded, ruffling Peters' hair. “Yeah, you have fun. He won’t be little forever you know.”

Peter tipped his head back, looking up at Tony hopefully. “Can we go play?”

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go play. Thanks, Bruce.”

Tony’s life was one big stress ulcer. Just, shit after shit that he had to deal with but finally, this was some alien nonsense that he could enjoy. Peter tugged on his hand as he raced down the hall, lab coat and goggles thrown off in his haste to get to his toys. 

“Can we make a spaceship?”

Peter ran over to the box of Legos Tony had bought, tipping the whole thing onto the floor before Tony could stop him. “No, don’t do th-well, okay then. What’s with you and space anyway? It’s not that great up there. Trust me, I know.” 

Peter sat cross-legged in the mess, grabbing pieces and handing them to Tony. “You make the wings. Only use the green ones.”

Tony nodded, getting to work as he was instructed while Peter collected red and blue bricks for the body of the ship. “Space is cool, why don’t you like it?”  
Peter was concentrating on pushing his bricks together, not looking at Tony and it made the mechanic feel as though maybe he could be honest with him if he wasn’t even really listening. 

“Uh, well...I’ve been up there before and it didn’t exactly go well. I’ve been attacked by enough aliens to know that I don’t want to meet any more.”

Peter nodded, reaching across the pile to get more bricks. “Do you get scared?”

Tony shrugged. “Yes. Do you?”

The conversation had turned serious so suddenly that Tony wasn’t really expecting Peters answer. 

“Big Peter does.”

Tony nodded. “What about little Peter?”

“I like being small. You’re here to protect me. Big Peter gets scared all the time.”

Tony stopped at that. His hands froze on his lego creation as Peter continued to work on his. “He does?”

Peter nodded, wiggling his toes in his footie pyjamas, not looking up from his spaceship. “He had a building dropped on him by the mean man and he got stuck.”

Tony was shocked. He’d never heard of anything about a building collapse. “The Vulture?”

Peter nodded. “Big Peter doesn’t like getting stuck. It’s too scary. He cried ‘cause he didn’t know how to get out by himself.”

Tony put his Lego down, guilt eating away at his stomach. “Why didn't he tell me?”

Little Peter shrugged, still working. “Spider-Man has to be brave.”

Tony felt awful. He’d taken away Peters suit and left him alone and now he was being told that, because of him, Peter had been crushed under a building. He’d been alone and scared and he hadn’t told Tony because he thought he had to be brave.

“Peter...You know that you can tell me anything, right? I know that taking the suit back then was a mistake and one that I won’t make again. But you can always come to me if you need anything.”

Peter smiled, pointing to his chest. “I know. You got me new PJ’s! And these legos!”

Tony shook his head, desperate to get his point across, even if it was to a toddler. “No, I mean Big Peter. He can always talk to me if he’s scared or if he needs help.”

Peter’s hands stopped moving as he looked up at Tony with a calm expression. His voice was gentle as if his words weren’t like anchors in Tony's heart. 

“You should tell him that.”

God, that hurt. Had he really not told Peter he was there for him? Emotions and relationships were hard for Tony, especially with someone like Peter. He knew very well what kind of role he was filling in Peter's life and because of his own father, he had no idea how to fill it properly. 

His father had always been so cold and dismissive towards him and he’d craved so badly for his dad to just care. Tony cared about Peter, he did, but every time he wanted to show him or tell him it all got mixed up and jumbled and the fear of failure kept him from trying at all. 

He’d lost so many people already, that somewhere in the back of his messed up mind, he thought that if he kept Peter at arm's length it wouldn’t hurt so much when he left. But apparently, that wasn’t how it worked. 

Peter went back to his toys as Tony tried to come to terms with what he’d just been told. “I will. I’ll tell him.”

Tony wasn’t sure what to think but thankfully he was given a distraction as footsteps made their way into the room.

“Where’s the munchkin?” Natasha walked in, smiling when Peter jumped up and ran towards her, arms open wide.

“Tasha!” The assassin opened her arms, crouching down so he could hug her. 

“Hey, Peter. Aren’t you a cutie pie. You having fun with Tony?”

Peter nodded and took her hand, pulling her over to look at his spaceship but something else caught her attention. Tony looked pale and his breaths were coming too fast. 

He looked up at her, before scrambling to his feet, words shaky and rushed. “Can you...can you take him for a little bit? I need to go have a panic attack real quick.”

Natasha nodded but grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. “Yeah, sure. Tony, wait. What's wrong?”

He was shaking with restless energy, needing to go fix the mess he made. “I just found out that the teenage version of Peter was crushed under a building and he didn’t tell me. And also that I may be the worst mentor ever so...there's that.”

Natasha opened her mouth, frowning but Tony pulled away before she could say anything. “I have to go. Look after him for me.”

He took off, leaving Natasha with Peters' hand in hers, big eyes looking up at her, worried. “Tasha? Did I make Tony sad?”

Natasha knelt back down and gave him a smile. “No, of course not. You’re perfect.”

Peter seemed satisfied and went back to his bricks but Nat was worried and called out to the AI. “Friday, tell Steve that Tony needs help please.”

“Right away, Miss Romanov.”

……………………

Tony held his hands over his face, cold water dripping from his fingers and into the sink as he attempted to calm himself down. 

It was hard to breathe and his breaths came as strained wheezes in his tight chest. God, he’d fucked up. 

“Tony?”

Steve was through the door and by his side in an instant as Tony slipped down the wall and sat on the floor gasping. 

“What's going on? What’s wrong?”

“I screwed up. I wasn’t there for him, I left him alone with no suit. I’m just like my father. Oh god, Steve he almost died and he didn’t tell me.”

Steve shook his head, trying to keep up. “What? Who did?”

Tony pulled in a strained breath. “Peter. Toomes almost killed him because I took the spider suit away. And he never told me. I never wanted to end up like my dad and there I was, abandoning a kid that I pulled into my war.” 

Steve didn’t know what to say. He sat on the floor next to his teammate as Tony continued. 

“What if it’s better like this?”

Steve frowned, confused. “Like what?”

Tony lent his head back on the wall, breaths calming a little as he tried to explain. “He’s happier like this. What if we just left it?”

Steve’s eyes widened as he realised what he meant and he turned to the other man, shocked. “Leave Peter as a two-year-old? Tony, we can’t!”

“Why not? He told me himself, he feels safe as he is because he knows I’ll take care of him. He said that teenage Peter doesn’t feel like that. He’s scared and...it’s my fault.”

Steve sighed. “You always blame everything on yourself. You can’t hold all of that guilt, Tony.”

He wasn’t wrong, and Tony wished he didn’t take the blame for everything but he couldn’t help it. “No, think about it. Peters parents died when he was a kid and then he was fourteen when his uncle died right in front of him. He’s a good kid, Steve. He deserves better. He can have another go at childhood, have a better one.”

“You can’t make that choice for him. He has a life and he needs to go back to it.”

Tony pressed his fists to his knees, closing his eyes. “I knew exactly what role I was filling when I took that suit away. And I still left him. Alone. I don’t know how to make that up to him.”

Steve wished he could make it better, he wished he could have gone back to when he knew Howard and told him what he knew now. Howard was his friend but so was Tony, and Steve couldn't help but hate his old friend for what he’d done to his son. 

“You’re not like your dad, Tony.”

The mechanic wasn’t so sure. “How do you know that?”

Steve’s answer was immediate. “Because you try, and you care.”

It wasn’t as if he was saying Howard didn’t care but they both knew that Tony’s dad had never seen fatherhood as a priority. He had unceasingly put his work before Tony, and that was the difference between them. 

“If Howard were here he would have studied the weapon for weeks, but not for a way to fix Peter, just for his own curiosity. While all you wanted to do was take care of Peter. You care about him and you would clearly do anything to keep him safe. You’re not your father, Tony, and believe it or not, you make a good dad.”

Tony felt his throat tighten as his eyes pricked with tears but Steve was calm. 

“We’ll get Peter back to his old self and when we do, you can talk to him. It’ll be okay, Tony.”

Tony sniffed, wiping a hand over his eyes before patting Steves' arm and squeezing it in gratitude. “Thanks, Cap.”

……………………

Peter stuck another fridge magnet to Bucky’s arm, spelling out words any normal two-year-old wouldn't even be able to say. 

“That’s the brain of the cell that tells it what shape to be.” 

Bucky smiled at him, thoroughly impressed. “Well, you’re definitely Stark's kid.”

Sam shook his head, laying on the floor beside the two as he peeled another sticker from the sheet and pressed it to Bucky's cheek where Peter had put the others. “Nah man, he’s not his son.”

Bucky frowned, confused, but Peter piped up before he could say anything. “I wish Tony was my dad. I don’t have one anymore.”

Both men froze, panicked eyes meeting as Natasha spoke up from the kitchen behind them. 

“Uhh, guys maybe it’s time to change the subject? Peter, baby are you hungry?”

Peter dropped his magnets as he called out. “Yes!”

Natasha came over with a plate of apples and cheese and placed it down between the boys. Peter took the sticker sheet from Sam and pulled off a heart, putting it on Natasha’s hand with a smile. 

“Here you go, Tasha. Thank you for the apples.”

Her face lit up with a smile and she nudged a curled finger under Peters' chin. “You’re welcome.”

The kid was so polite it melted everyone's core till they were nothing but mushy teddy bears, willing to give the kid anything he asked for. 

Peter picked an apple slice off the plate and silently crawled into Sam’s lap, settling himself down like he’d done it a million times. Sam didn’t mind at all, getting his own slice of apple as Peter looked up at him with his sweet brown eyes. 

“Where’s Tony?”

Sam hesitated, looking at Natasha for help. “Uh...he’s just having a little break. He’ll be back soon.”

Peter took a bite of his apple, frowning. “Is he mad at me?”  
His voice was so small and sad that all three adults immediately jumped forward to console him. 

“No, of course not!”  
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Peter!”  
“No one could ever be mad at that little face.”

Peter snuggled further into Sam's chest. “Then why doesn’t he want to play with me anymore?”

Bucky tried to explain, peeling off a sticker from his metal arm and pressing it to Peters shirt. “Tony just finds it hard to tell people that he loves them. He finds it scary so, sometimes you have to do it first. He’s not mad at you, his hearts just too big and he doesn’t know which words to use.”

Peter’s frown fell right off, his eyes lighting up. “Oh.” That made perfect sense. 

“I’m gonna go find him!”

He slipped from Sam’s lap and ran off before anyone could stop him. 

Peter ran down the halls, shoving his apple into his mouth to free his hands before he jumped onto the wall and crawled up to the ceiling. He could hear Tony’s voice if he concentrated, and he followed the familiar sound all the way to him. 

He could hear Steve’s voice too and he hopped back onto the ground as he got closer, sprinting to the bathroom where they were sitting. 

Both men looked up as he entered, still sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. Peter didn’t hesitate, jumping into Tony’s arms and pressing his face to his neck. Tony’s cheek was wet and he sniffed as Peter curled his hands into his shirt. 

Peters' voice was quiet, muffled by the mechanic's shirt. “I missed you.”

Tony hugged him back, breathing in the apple scent from Peters curls. “I know, I’m sorry I ran off.”

Steve patted Tony on the shoulder before leaving them to it, letting them have their moment. 

“I didn’t mean to make you sad. I’m sorry. Don’t cry.” Peter leant back, wiping his soft palms on Tony’s cheek to wipe his tears away. 

Tony’s chest ached for this kid that was so good and made everything seem a little brighter. “It’s okay, you always make me feel better, anyway. How about we get out of here and do something fun.”

Peter liked that idea, wanting to spend more time with his hero and make the anguished look in his eyes go away. “Can you read me a story?”

Tony had never read anyone a story before, but he was more than happy to do it for Peter. He’d bought some picture books he thinks he might like. He held Peter to his chest and carried him to teenage Peter's room where his things were waiting. 

Tony sat them down in the armchair next to Peters bed, where Tony had spent many nights watching over the teenager as he recovered. “Okay, champ. What do you want to read? We have ‘Baby loves thermodynamics’ and ‘Baby loved Quantum Physics’. Take your pick.”

Peter yawned, rubbing a curled fist to his eyes as he laid his head on Tony's shoulder. “The thermomamics one, please.”

Tony smiled, keeping himself from laughing as he brushed Peters hair back. “Good manners, Pete.”

Tony cracked open the book, starting on the story as Peters breaths slowed again his chest. The poor little guy had tired himself out from all the excitement. 

“Good morning, Sun! The sun shines on Baby. It makes Baby feel warm. The sun shines on the tree. It helps the tree grow. How does the sun help the tree grow? By giving it energy! Sunlight + Air + Water = Food for the Tree.” 

Tony flipped through the pages, frowning. “How do kids like this stuff?”

Peter was barely listening, crawling up further to wrap his chubby arms around Tony's neck, nuzzling his nose into his shoulder. He sighed, Tony’s big hand rubbing over his back. 

Tony paused, looking down as Peter’s tired eyes fluttered, his sweet voice slow and sleepy. 

“I love you, Tony.”

Something in Tony’s heart exploded in that moment. Like a marshmallow in a microwave, it grew ten sizes bigger before collapsing into a puddle of melted sugar. Tony wrapped his arms around the boy and closed his eyes, his voice nothing more than a whisper into Peters' hair. 

“I love you too, Spider-Baby.”

Peter fell asleep there, with Tony following soon after, the both of them staying there until Bruce found them. Pictures were promptly taken before the lights were turned off and they were left to their sleep. 

……………………

The next morning was a lot happier, with everyone having settled into the new routines in the compound. 

Well, almost. 

At some point during the night, Tony had put Peter to bed and gotten in beside him, where he remained until morning. 

But now something was tugging on his arm. 

“Psst. Tony.”

Tony groaned and attempted to push the thing away but it only got louder and more annoying. 

It crawled up his arm and stood on his shoulders, slapping its tiny hand on his cheek. “Tony!”

A little bit of awareness came to him and he realised who the hand belonged to. “Ugh. Peter. It’s too early.”

The voice whined and the hands got more insistent. “I gotta go.”

Tony groaned again. “Then go.”

Peter’s voice was strained. “No, I gotta GO.”

Tony’s eyes snapped open in an instant and he carefully rolled onto his back, catching Peter and grabbing him so he wouldn’t fall. “Oh! You gotta go! Well, let’s go then.”

Tony hurried to the bathroom, Peter hopping behind him before a thought occurred to him. “Oh god, you don’t need my help do you?”

Peter shook his head, little cheeks going red as he frowned. “No! I’m a big boy, I can do it by myself.”

Tony sighed in relief and hurried Peter into the bathroom, opening the door for him and waiting outside the door till he was finished. 

Once Peter came out, Tony helped him zip his onesie back up. “Why did you need me to come, if you could do it yourself?”

Peter held up his hands. “I gotta wash my hands but I can’t reach the sink.”

Tony nodded and helped the kid, holding his tummy and lifting him so he could wash his hands. 

Tony yawned, checking his watch to see it was barely seven but Peter was wide awake and so he supposed he should be too. Usually, Tony wouldn’t even go to sleep till around four in the morning, but Peter was ready and raring to go so he headed straight for the kitchen for some coffee.

Peter ran ahead, crawling up the door to the handle and hanging on to it so that he could kick the door jam and open it all on his own. Tony didn’t bother telling him off for climbing and simply walked through, picking the spider off the door to hold under his arm like a football as he went to make his coffee. 

Peter didn’t seem to mind, babbling at a mile a minute. “And then in my dream, you were fighting bad guys and I helped and then Bruce was there and-”

Tony nodded, plopping him on the bench to sit there while he made breakfast. “That’s cool buddy.”

Tony drank his coffee while Peter continued to talk about whatever he was talking about, shoving cereal into his mouth. The mechanic had almost fallen asleep at the table when Bucky walked in, wiping sweat from his forehead from his workout as Steve walked in behind him. 

Peter jumped up on his chair, grabby hands reaching for the two super soldiers. “Bucky! Steve!” 

Bucky smiled, running over and scooping up the boy, play fighting as gently as one enhanced human could. Peter was lightning quick, scrambling up to his shoulders to sit there and cover his eyes with his hands. “I got you!”

Bucky dramatically fell to the floor, ensuring not to crush the kid as he groaned. “Oh noo, you got me! You win, Spider-Man.”

Bucky lay on the floor as Steve snorted and walked around him. Peter crawled onto Bucky's chest and wrapped his arms around his neck. “No, don’t die! I’m sorry!”

Bucky picked Peter up and threw him into the air, catching him as he came down. “I’m okay, little bug.”

Peter scrunched up his nose, giggling. “Spiders aren’t bugs! They’re arachnids.”

Natasha walked in, in her yoga gear, nodding. “He’s right.”

Steve sat down at the table with Tony, trying not to laugh at the poor man. “You look….not refreshed?” 

Tony gave a sarcastic grin. “Ha. Ha. Kids are exhausting, okay? And we have a lot to do today.”

He didn’t want to go but he had an important meeting that morning that he couldn’t reschedule. He wasn’t sure how he was going to tell Peter, who was stuck to him like glue. He stayed by his side during breakfast and when Tony got dressed, refusing to play with his toys unless the mechanic was with him. 

Tony felt awful and tried to think of how to look Peter in the eye and tell him he was leaving. 

“Can we dance again?” 

Tony held out Peters shirt, waiting for him to put his arms through. “We can dance after you’re dressed. You can’t be running around naked.”

Peter put his arms through, letting Tony tug the shirt down over his tummy. “I could!”

Tony wished he could stay, he wished he didn’t have to ruin the kid's good mood. He slipped the boys shoes on and did his laces, concentrating on his task as he spoke. 

“Hey, buddy do you think you could hang out with the others today? Steve said he could take you to the park if you wanted.”

Peter played with Tony’s hair as he answered, unfazed. “Are you gonna push me on the swings?”

Tony sighed, taking Peters hands in his and squeezing them gently. “Peter, I have to go out for a bit. But I’ll be back, I promise.”

Peter’s eyes immediately widened in fright, and his voice cracked. “No. You have to stay here with me.”

Tony tried again. “Natasha and Steve and Sam and Bucky are all going to be here. They’ll take care of you and Bruce is in the lab, you can see him.”

Peters sweet brown eyes started to fill with tears and he hiccuped as his hands found Tony's shirt and held on tight. “But I don’t want you to leave. You said I could ask for what I needed and I need you.”

Tony's heart practically shattered in his chest as Peter curled to him, sobbing. “Don’t leave me.”

Tony clenched his teeth, trying not to cry as he wrapped his arms around the kid. “I don’t want to, but I need to. I will come back as soon as I can.”

Peter wailed, drawing the attention of the other Avengers. Steve sighed as he came into the doorway and crouched down behind Peter. 

“Come on, you need to let go. He’s not leaving forever.”  
Peter didn’t relinquish his grip on Tony’s shirt, and Steve felt guilt eat at his stomach as he used his strength to pull those little hands away. 

Peter cried harder as Steve held him, kicking at the floor as Tony grabbed something from a box on the other side of the room. 

“Peter, hey, look. I got you something.”

It was a bear dressed as Iron Man, its soft plush body almost bigger than Peter was. Tony handed it to him and Peter clung to it tightly. 

“You can hang on to him while I’m gone, okay? And look.” He pressed its tummy, his own voice emitting from the bear. “You’re safe, Spider-Baby. I’m here.”

Peter sniffled, hugging the toy tight. 

“Now, even when I’m not here, I’ll still be with you. You don’t have to be scared.”

Peter looked at Tony with his big brown eyes, tears trailing down his red cheeks. “Please, don’t go.”

Tony almost lost all his resolve right there. He was ready to drop everything and just hug his kid but Friday spoke up before he could move. “Sir, you’re going to be late if you don’t leave now.”

Natasha came in and gently tugged on Tony’s arm. “He’ll be okay. You have to go.”

Tony swore it was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He leant forward and kissed the top of Peters' head before walking out and walking away from Peter as he cried after him.

……………………

Steve had been in multiple wars and fought off a Nazi with a melted face, but it turns out that an upset two-year-old with superpowers could cause a lot of trouble and he was wholly unprepared. 

“Peter! Stop! Come back down!”

The boy crawled across the ceiling, teddy bear clutched tightly in his grip. “No!”

Natasha tried as Sam tried to think of another way to get him down. “It’s not safe up there. We can go to the park and-”

The tiny hero was furious, crawling away from them and into Tony's room. “No! I’m not listening to you! You made Tony leave!”

Bucky watched unhelpfully. “I don’t think he’s coming down.”

Sam groaned. “Great, Tony's gone for five minutes and we’ve already pissed off the kid.” 

Steve followed Peter into Tony’s bedroom, where the spider had crawled into his bed and hid under the covers. 

“Peter, please don’t make this more difficult than it has to be. Don’t you want to go play?”

The lump under the covers shook, a sad muffled voice coming out from under it. “No. I want Tony.”

Sam leant in the doorway, looking bored already. “Happy spends a lot of time with the teenage version of him. Why don’t we call him?”

Ten minutes later, the oxymoron himself was standing beside the bed. Happy was grumpy, arms crossed and patience non-existent. 

“Peter, get out from under there.”

“Nuh uh. Don’t wanna.”

Happy threw up his hands and walked out. “Well, I tried.”

Steve grabbed his arm, desperate. “No, come on. Please, we can’t leave him miserable all day.”

Happy sighed, turning just enough to give the captain a tired look. “Then why don’t you call someone he actually likes?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow, silently asking who. Happy frowned like it was obvious. “Ned? His best friend?”

None of the Avengers knew who that was. Happy rolled his eyes. “Friday, call Ned and tell him I’m picking him up.”

“You got it.”

Happy walked out, muttering to himself. “I have to do everything around here. I’m not a babysitter.”

Another fifteen minutes went by and finally, Ned was there, staring awestruck at the Avengers around him. 

“Wow, I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you guys!”

Steve went to shake his hand but Bucky was a little impatient and urged the kid forward to Tony's room. 

“It’s nice to meet you but we actually have a little bit of a situation that we need your help with.”

Ned stumbled forward, confused. “Oh, um, okay. What am I helping with?”

Bucky led him to the bed, pointing to where Peter was still hidden beneath the covers. “That.” 

All the Avengers were watching eagerly from the doorway, stepping back so as not to make Peter mad again. 

Ned wasn’t sure what was happening and definitely didn’t know what to expect but it wasn’t the small child that peeked from beneath the blankets. 

“Ned!”

Peter jumped at him, teddy bear swinging from his fist as he climbed out of the bed and wrapped his arms around his best friend.

Ned instinctively hugged the kid back as he looked to the others for an explanation. 

"What’s going on? Who is this?”

……………………

“Wait so, Peter has been like this since yesterday and you haven’t told May? When can you fix it?”

Steve watched Ned bounce Peter on his knee, the toddler still upset and refusing to let anyone near him but Ned and his teddy. “Yes, and we don’t know. Bruce is working on a solution but he’s come up with nothing so far.”

Ned frowned, about to start panicking. “He can’t stay like this! We have school on Monday and if May finds out she’s going to lose it!”

Natasha handed over Peter's school book and papers. “He actually did his homework.”

Ned looked over the equations written in crayon, glitter spread over the page. “You’re kidding me, right? He’s-oh, they’re all correct.”

Peter peeked out from his shoulder and pointed to the page, smiling for the first time since Tony left. “I did that all by myself!” 

Ned was impressed. “Good job. Too bad we can’t hand it in. Seriously though, you guys have to fix him. This little guy is cute for sure but I cannot have a baby for a best friend.”

Peter pouted, looking up at Ned. “Hey, I’m not a baby.”

Ned pinched Peters nose to prove his point. “I got your nose!”

Peter whined, grabbing at his hand. “No, give it back! I need it!”

Sam sighed. “Yeah, don’t worry. We will be doing everything we can to get Peter back to his old self. I’m not the biggest fan of him and his webs but I cannot handle any more tantrums.”

……………………

Tony tried to listen to the secretary of defence, and he knew it was important, but it was so boring. The guy droned on and on and all Tony could do was think about the kid he’d left at home. 

Peter was waiting for him and all this guy wanted to do was bitch about budget cuts. 

Tony reshuffled his paperwork, pausing when something sparkly caught his eyes. It was the picture he and Peter had drawn. It must have gotten mixed up with his work on accident. 

All other sound disappeared as Tony looked at the page, thinking about what Bruce had said. Peter wouldn’t be a kid forever, pretty soon he’d be back to his teenager self and Tony would no longer be able to be so close to him. 

“Mr Stark, are you listening?”

Tony looked up, making a decision. “No. In fact, I don’t have time for this so, if you’ll excuse me I have to go.”

The SecDef was not happy, grumbling as he tried to regain control of the meeting. “You are not excused, this is important-”

But Tony didn’t listen, nothing else mattered but the boy he’d left behind and he couldn’t get home fast enough. 

As soon as he got home he hurried inside, dropping his briefcase by the door. “Peter?”

The voice came immediately, followed by the hurried tapping of tiny feet. “Tony!”

The little arachnid came streaking down the hallway, crawling over the ceiling and walls like some adorable demon, before launching himself at the mechanic.

Tony caught him, Peters' arms wrapping around his neck as tight as they could without killing him, as Tony hugged him back just as tight. 

Peters' voice was so small. “I don’t like it when you leave.”

Tony swayed, rocking Peter in his arms as he closed his eyes and savoured the moment. “I’ll never leave you again.”

Peter still had the Iron bear in his grasp, dangling from his fist as he clung to Tony with no intention of ever letting go. 

Tony felt awful, he rubbed a hand over Peters back as they swayed. “I'm sorry I had to go, I didn’t want to. How about I make it up to you? We can do whatever you want for the rest of the day.”

Natasha poked her head around the corner as Tony made his way to the lounge. “Oh, thank god you’re back. He refused to talk to any of us. We had to get Ned to come in.”

Tony laughed at the knowledge that one super-powered toddler had been too much for the Avengers to handle. Although he had learned first hand how true it was. 

“Thanks for taking care of him. I know how difficult he can be.”

Sam came up behind Black Widow, sighing in relief. “Oh good, you’re here. I need a nap, man.”

Bucky was there too, agreeing vehemently. “I second that. I’m never getting on that kid’s bad side again.”

Tony frowned, pausing to narrow his eyes at the soldier. “What do you mean?”

Natasha winced, trying not to laugh. “Peter may have thrown Bucky across the room. Once or twice.”

Tony’s mouth fell open. “Peter!”

Spider-boy was not happy, sticking out his tongue at the Avengers. “Tattle-tale!”

“I’m sorry, are you okay?” 

Bucky waved away Tony's concern. “I’m fine. Your coffee table isn’t.”

Tony groaned. “I shouldn’t have left.”

No one disagreed and there was nothing to be done about it now, so Tony simply made his way to the lounge with Peter. “You know you’re going to have to apologise to them, especially Bucky.”

Peter shook his head, chubby cheek bouncing on Tony's shoulder as he stubbornly refused. “Nuh-uh.”

Tony’s voice was stern but laced with a softness that undercut all authority. “Peter, we’ve talked about this. You can’t behave that way. Bucky didn’t do anything wrong.”

Peter had a very different opinion. “He wouldn't give you back.”

Tony gave up, rocking them both in a slow dance sway, resting his cheek on the top of Peters' head. “Okay, you can draw a picture for him later.”

The two of them hadn’t been apart for long, but it had been long enough. They held onto each other so tight, missing each other more than they thought they could. 

Peter laid his head on Tony’s shoulder, finally feeling better, all the panic and fear from when Tony left, melting away in his arms. 

“Can you sing?”

Tony had never thought he’d be in that position, but he couldn’t say no. In truth, he would do anything that Peter asked him. 

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

…………………

Steve watched Tony as he danced with Peter, voice low and slow as he sang. It was a beautiful moment, which only made it sadder. 

He sighed. “How is he going to be able to let him go?”

Natasha knew what he meant. “I don’t know. I wish he didn’t have to. They’re good for each other like this.”

If Peter had known their time together had been ending so soon, he would have asked Bruce to postpone the fix. 

They spent one last day together, unaware of their time coming to a close. Peter squealed with laughter as Tony pushed him on the swing and they walked home together hand in hand, oblivious of Bruce’s breakthrough in the lab. 

But ignorance really was bliss. 

Tony carried Peter back to his room, carefully putting him to bed and tucking him in before Bruce came to find them, their voices hushed in the dim room. 

“I finally managed to find what I was looking for! It’s fascinating, really. The beam emits a ray of-”

Tony shook his head, heart filling with dread. “What are you saying? Quick version.”

Bruce smiled, ecstatic. “I reversed it! We can get him back to his proper age.”

Tony looked over at the sleeping hero in the bed, little hands curled so gently, arms wrapped around his Iron Bear. He didn’t want to lose him. 

Bruce hesitated, watching grief pinch at Tony's expression. “Is that...not good news?”

Tony looked away, forcing a smile. “No, it’s great. Thanks, buddy.”

……………………

Tony was trying to keep it together. He was trying to put on a brave face for little Peter so that he wouldn't be scared. He held his hand as they walked into the lab, Peter hiding behind Tony's leg and clutching onto his pants as Bruce knelt down to see him. 

“Hey, kiddo. Are you ready to be big again?”

Peter’s eyes were wide as he peeked out from behind his hero. “Will it hurt?”

Bruce shook his head. “No, of course not! You won’t feel a thing, I promise.”

Tony lead Peter over to the bed set up in the middle of the room, lifting him on and brushing the hair out of his eyes as Peter watched him. “Will I memember being little?”

Tony looked at Bruce, who shrugged sadly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. You retained your knowledge in this form so, I suppose you will.”

Tony stood in front of Peter as the little guy clutched his hand. Peter sniffled, his chest and shoulders jumping with his hiccuping breaths. Tony leant down to meet his eyes, lifting his chin with a gentle finger. 

“What’s wrong? Bruce said it wouldn’t hurt and I’ll be here the whole time.”

“I don’t -sniff- want to -sniff- forget.” His voice broke on the last word and Tony couldn’t take it, wrapping his arms around the kid and holding him tight. 

“It’s okay, Spider-Baby. I got you. Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Tony clenched his teeth, trying to keep his emotions in check but it was hard when Peters tiny little hands had such a strong hold on his heart. 

He wanted to hold on forever and never let go, but he knew he had to be strong for Peter. He let him go and crouched down to see his eyes, wiping the tears from his soft cheeks. 

“You’re going to be big again and you’ll love it. You’ll get to be Spider-Man and go to school and see May. And you can still come back here every weekend for training. It’ll be okay, buddy.”

Peter sniffed. “Can I keep my teddy?”

Tony let out a laugh. “Yes, you can keep him.”

Bruce cleared his throat behind them, an apologetic smile on his face. “It’s time.”

Tony placed a kiss on top of Peters curly head and moved away from the bed but Peters breaths immediately sped up and he reached out for his mentor, whimpering. 

“No, Tony! I’m scared! Don’t leave!”

Tony offered him a smile, waiting beside Bruce. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere. It’s going to be alright, just close your eyes. It’ll be over before you know it.”

Peter obeyed, hands clutching the blanket on the bed as he scrunched his eyes shut. “Sing the song.”

Bruce powered up the weapon as Tony tried to keep his voice from shaking. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey.”

The weapon whirred as Peters little voice joined in. “You’ll never know dear, how much I love you.”

Tony’s chest tightened, a lump forming in his throat as Peters bright eyes opened and found him. His tiny voice broke Tony's heart, choking the last words of the song. “I love you, Papa.”

Bruce fired, the beam of light enveloping Peter as smoke filled the room. And he was gone.

“Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

……………………

The smoke cleared and Tony held his breath. 

“Mr Stark?”

Tony wiped his eyes and made his way forward. Peter, now a teenager, blinked and looked around confused. 

He felt strange and wobbly, slipping off the bed to his feet only for his knees to buckle. Tony jumped forward and caught him, helping him back onto the bed. 

“Hey, take it easy. Don’t move just yet.”

Peters' hands were shaking as Bruce hurried to his side, flashing a penlight in his eyes and asking a million questions at once. 

“How do you feel? Do you know where you are? What do you remember?”

Peter grunted and shut his eyes, flinching away from the light. “Ow, um I don’t know. I feel weird.”

Bruce pushed the teenager onto the bed, making him lay down as he ran every test he could think of.

Peter looked at Tony, eyebrows coming down over his confused eyes. “What happened? Why am I in here?”

Tony stepped back, feeling hollow. Peter was back. It was...good. But he didn't remember. 

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “It’s good to have you back, Pete.”

Bruce turned as Tony walked out. “Tony. Come on.”

Peter watched him leave, heart heavy in his chest as his hero disappeared down the hall. 

……………………

Peter packed up his things, shoving clothes and books into his backpack. The weekend was over and it was time to go home. 

He hadn’t seen Tony since he’d left the lab and he was happy to see him at the door, turning when Tony knocked. 

“Hey.”

“Hey, you packing up?”

Peter nodded awkwardly, shoving things into his bag. “Yeah. I’m sorry I ruined the whole stay with the-”

Tony was quick to reassure him, picking one of Peters hoodies off the bed and folding it. “No, you didn’t ruin anything. It was...it was fun.”

Peter watched him, seeing the hurt written over Tony's features and hating that he put it there. “Mr Stark…”

The mechanic didn’t look up, squeezing the hoodie in his hold until Peter tried again. “Tony. I’m sorry that I don’t remember what happened and I’m sorry you had to take care of me-”

Something rose up in Tony's chest at that, a protective urge that had grown stronger over the past few days. The need to shield the kid from anything that might harm him, even if it was his own dark thoughts. 

“Stop, okay? You don’t have to apologize. Peter...when you were little, we had a talk. You-he told me about the vulture dropping a building on you.”

Peter’s eyes went wide and he stumbled to find a decent explanation. “Mr Stark, I was going to tell you but it just didn’t seem all that important and-”

Tony frowned, shaking his head in disbelief. “You almost died. How is that not important? And then there’s also the fact that you still have nightmares about it.”

“Mr Stark-”

Tony grabbed his shoulders, fingers tighter than he intended. Peter was just so big, Tony was used to his smaller frame.

He found the teenagers gaze and held it, needing him to understand. “Peter you have to know that you can talk to me about anything. I mean it. If you’re scared or have nightmares or need help I am always here. I know I shouldn't have taken the suit away and I know I should have been there for you and I am sorry for that. I am so sorry. But you need to tell me when you need help. I want to be there for you.”

Peter was shocked, unable to say anything for a moment. When he finally managed to find his words, they were small and shaky. “Thanks, Tony.”

Tony patted his arms before letting go, still not used to being honest with feelings. “Okay good. Happy will be taking you home soon, don't forget anything. And hopefully next weekend you can come for training and not get blasted by any weapons.”

Peter smiled, nodding.  
“That would be nice. Thanks.”

The mechanic went to leave, making it out into the hallway before something stopped him.

He could hear a familiar sound coming from Peter's room. He made his way back, looking through the doorway where Peter was holding his Iron bear, facing away from Tony. 

He watched silently as Peter hugged the bear, squeezing its tummy, making Tony's voice come from it. 

“You’re safe Spider-Baby. I’m here.”

It was what Tony had heard from the hallway. He watched, amazed as Peter stroked the bears head before putting it in his bag to take home. 

Tony’s heartfelt warm in his chest, like it could explode right out of him because Peter remembered. He had to. He remembered everything that happened and treasured it as much as Tony did. 

He left quickly, not wanting to alert Peter to his spying, but unable to help the smile that lit up his face for the rest of the day. 

……………………

“Tony? Friday, where is he?”

It had been a week since the lab incident and Peter was back for the weekend to train. If only he could find his mentor. 

The AI responded, voice cheerful as always. “He is in his study. Would you like me to tell him you’re coming?”

Peter made his way down the hallway, familiar enough with the layout of the compound by now. “Nah, he knows. Thanks, Friday.”

He felt a little weird about seeing his hero again after how he’d left things last week. Of course, he remembered his time as a toddler. How could he not? But he couldn’t let Tony know that. It was so embarrassing. 

He’d been so clingy and stupid, he didn’t want Tony thinking of him as the baby that cried whenever he left. It was better if he thought he didn’t remember. That way Tony wouldn’t have to pretend that Peter wasn’t so annoying. 

The billionaire, genius, Avenger shouldn’t have to babysit. He had better things to do than coddle a teenager. Peter would keep it to himself.

Tony was busy writing at his desk when Peter made it to his office and he spun in his chair to see him when Peter knocked. 

“Hey, I’ll be there in just a second. I have to sign a few things for Pepper or she’ll kill me and give another lecture about sharing responsibility and workloads and all that.”

Peter nodded, waiting patiently until Tony dropped his pen and stood. “Okay, done! Let me just grab my jacket.”

Peter nodded again but froze when Tony moved away. There on the desk, among photos of Pepper and Rhodey and the other Avengers, was a framed picture. It was drawn from sparkly crayon, stick figures and scribbles over chemistry homework.

It was the one little Peter had done with Tony. He’d kept it. Peter couldn’t believe it. 

Tony came back with a smile, holding his jacket. “Okay, let's get to the workshop. I want to show you the new features I put on your suit.”

Peter shook himself out of his shock. “Yeah, cool, let's go.”

Tony noticed his hesitation and took his shoulder. “You okay?”

Peter smiled, genuine elation shining through his bright eyes. “Yeah. I’m perfect.”

Tony smiled, wrapping his arm around the kid's shoulders as they walked together. “That you are, Spider-Baby.”

**Author's Note:**

> please tell me what you think!!!! I worked really hard on this one and I know its repetitive in parts and I accidentally made it angsty I hope you liked it anyway!


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